Wednesday, November 2, 2016

An ancient
tableau depicting images of boats has been uncovered in a building dating back
nearly 4,000 years.

The
carvings, which number more than 120, have been re-discovered on the walls of a
structure in Abydos, southern Egypt – the same site where the tomb of pharaoh
Senwosret III came to light more than 100 years ago.

Associate
Professor in Egyptology at the University of Pennsylvania Josef Wegner is
leading the team excavating the site. Writing in the International Journal of
Nautical Archaeology, Wegner said the remains of an actual boat, buried
alongside the tomb, have also been detected.

Carved onto
white plaster walls, the intricate images extend for 82ft (25 meters) and
include depictions of sails, masts and oars. More rudimentary representations
of animals are also present.

"Some
individuals appear to have been more talented or interested in rendering the
fuller details of Egyptian watercraft, while others were content to leave only
a token stroke evoking the basic curvature of a boat hull", Wegner writes.

This is the
first time since 1903 that the carvings have been seen in person. Archaeologist
Arthur Weigall spied the images briefly while excavating the tomb of Senwosret III – before its roof caved in.

“The
roof was barrel shaped, and some of it was still standing until excavated, when
it fell in. Upon the whitewashed walls of the burial chamber a number of
drawings of boats had been scratched in later times, some of which are of
interest,” said
Weigall at the time.

The
University of Pennsylvania Museum's Egyptian department has been excavating at
the mortuary complex of Senwosret III – one of the largest royal tombs ever
built in ancient Egypt – for over 20 years and has been examining the general
Abydos site for more than 30 years.

AWAKENING FOR ALL!!!

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